The Prophets · Old Testament

Ezekiel 9

Ezekiel 9: the man with the inkhorn marks foreheads and the slaughter begins at the sanctuary

General context

The vision of chapter 8 continues. A loud voice calls "them that have charge over the city" to draw near with destroying weapons. Six men come from the higher north gate, each with "a slaughter weapon," and one among them is "clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side"; they stand beside the brasen altar. The glory of the God of Israel goes up "from the cherub" to the threshold of the house. The Lord tells the man in linen to go through Jerusalem and "set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry" over the abominations. The others are told to follow and smite without pity, to slay "old and young, both maids, and little children, and women," but not to touch anyone with the mark, and to "begin at my sanctuary." They begin with the ancient men before the house, are told to defile the house and fill the courts with the slain, and go out slaying in the city. Left alone, the prophet falls on his face and cries, "Ah Lord God! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel?" The answer is that the iniquity of Israel and Judah is "exceeding great," the land "full of blood," and that they say "The Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not"; so the Lord's eye will not spare. The man in linen reports, "I have done as thou hast commanded me."

Cited passages: Ezekiel 9:1, Ezekiel 9:2, Ezekiel 9:3, Ezekiel 9:4, Ezekiel 9:5, Ezekiel 9:6, Ezekiel 9:7, Ezekiel 9:8, Ezekiel 9:9, Ezekiel 9:10, Ezekiel 9:11

Ezekiel 9 (KJV)

¹He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.

²And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.

³And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side;

⁴And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

⁵And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:

⁶Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.

⁷And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.

⁸And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord God! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?

⁹Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not.

¹⁰And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.

¹¹And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.

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Historical context

The chapter has no new heading; it runs on from the 8:1 vision, and the voice of 9:1 is the same "he" who has been guiding the prophet, identified in 9:4 as "the Lord." The six men and the man in linen are described only by their gate of entry, their weapons and the inkhorn; the text does not say who or what they are. The mark on the forehead is not described, and those who receive it are defined by one thing, that they "sigh and that cry" for the abominations. The killing is stated without softening: old, young, maids, children and women, beginning with "the ancient men which were before the house," and the courts are filled with the slain. The narrative says "they went forth, and slew in the city" but does not give numbers. The prophet's cry, "wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel," is answered with a charge, not with a promise; the only exemption stated is the mark. The people's saying quoted in 9:9 repeats, in reverse order, the elders' words in 8:12. The glory's movement "from the cherub" to "the threshold of the house" is the first stage of a departure that continues in chapters 10 and 11; this chapter uses the singular "cherub" and does not yet identify the cherubim with the living creatures of chapter 1. The man in linen's report says the marking is done but the text does not say how many were marked.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 9:4, Ezekiel 9:2, Ezekiel 9:6, Ezekiel 9:8, Ezekiel 9:9, Ezekiel 9:3, Ezekiel 9:11

Literary context

The chapter turns from seeing to doing. Chapter 8 showed abominations; here the response is carried out in order: summons, entry, marking, slaughter, protest, answer, report. The man in linen is set apart from the six by his tool, an inkhorn against six slaughter weapons, and the marking precedes the killing so that mercy is written before judgment is executed. The Lord's order to the executioners, "let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity," is the same wording the Lord uses of himself in 9:10 and in earlier chapters, so the men act out the divine refusal. The phrase "begin at my sanctuary" reverses the place of safety into the first place of death, and the command "Defile the house" follows the defilement the people had already done there in chapter 8. The prophet's protest is his first speech since the dung objection in chapter 4, and both begin "Ah Lord God!" The answer quotes the people's own words back, so the chapter closes the loop between what they said in the dark and what is now done in the open. The last verse gives the man in linen the final word, a plain report of obedience, before the coals of chapter 10.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 9:2, Ezekiel 9:4, Ezekiel 9:5, Ezekiel 9:10, Ezekiel 9:6, Ezekiel 9:7, Ezekiel 9:8, Ezekiel 9:11

Key moments

Six men with weapons (Ezekiel 9:2). Six men come from the north gate, one clothed in linen with a writer's inkhorn.
The glory moves to the threshold (Ezekiel 9:3). The glory of the God of Israel goes up from the cherub to the threshold.
A mark on the foreheads (Ezekiel 9:4). The man in linen is sent to mark those who sigh and cry over the abominations.
Begin at my sanctuary (Ezekiel 9:6). The slaughter is ordered without pity and begins with the ancient men before the house.
Ah Lord God (Ezekiel 9:8). Left alone, the prophet asks whether the whole residue of Israel will be destroyed.
The Lord seeth not (Ezekiel 9:9). The Lord answers by quoting the people's own claim that he has forsaken the earth.
I have done as thou hast commanded (Ezekiel 9:11). The man in linen reports that the marking is finished.

For reflection

The only people spared are those who "sigh and that cry" over what is done in the city. What does the chapter suggest about grief over wrong as something visible enough to be marked?